2007 Subaru Impreza Wrx Sti Limited Sedan 4-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Toyota GT86 turbo, convertible, sedan variants back on the table

Okay Toyota, make up your mind. Figure it out. Quit playing games with our heart. Either build a bunch of variations of the excellent GT86 (also known as the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ) or don't. At this point, we're just tired of the back and forth. After no shortage of denials, an Australian website is claiming that Toyota is reconsidering convertible, four-door, turbocharged and all-wheel-drive hybrid variants of the GT86. Kindly pass all the salt.
It's not that we don't want to believe the Aussies; we do. But when the story lists the same "sources in Japan" as a lot of the other denials and confirmations about GT86/BRZ/FR-S variants, well, there's a certain sense of the "Boy That Cried Wolf," here. Ignoring all that, then, what does Motoring.com.au claim to know?
Sources claim the GT86 Convertible will arrive in October 2014, while the turbocharged and hybrid sedans are slated for 2016.

2015 Subaru Outback offers more room and better econ behind that new face

While its new front fascia makes the biggest obvious impact, Subaru says changes to the entire 2015 Outback package make it roomier, more powerful, more efficient and quieter. The hexagonal grille gets it in line with the corporate template, to go along with a new shape to the lower grille and fog light cladding, a sharp crease for a shoulder line and a faster rake to the windshield. The rocker panel cladding and its 'toothed' molding remain, but it now also doubles as a step for when you want to place items on the roof rack.
Under the aluminum hood will either be a 2.5-liter, four-cylinder boxer engine with 175 horsepower and a carryover 174 pound-feet of torque, or a 3.6-liter inline-six-cylinder with 256 hp and 247 lb-ft exclusively in the 3.6R Limited model. Paired to the lower-friction Lineartronic CVT that is the only shifting choice, and aided by features like the active grille shutter system and electric power steering, Subaru estimates fuel economy for the four-cylinder at 25 miles per gallon city, 33 highway and 28 combined, an increase of 1/3/2 mpg over the outgoing car. The sixer is pegged at 19 city, 27 highway and 22 combined, an increase of 2 mpg across the board.
The Outback has grown in every dimension, but never by more than 0.7 of an inch. The passenger cabin grows by 2.7 cubic feet, though, so occupants have more shoulder, hip, elbow and legroom. The cargo hold is enlarged by 1.2 cu-ft with the rear seats up, by 2.0 cu-ft with them down and the load floor is flatter. Accessing it is made easier by the memory height function on the power tailgate and new release handles for the rear thrones. Cabin ambiance is improved by sound abatement measures like an acoustic windshield, thicker panels and more noise-insulating foam.

Will more efficient tech mean higher prices for Subaru?

If the latest ruling by the California Air Resources Board holds, then Subaru at least must build a plug-in hybrid in the coming years to comply with the Golden State's regulations. Fuel economy looks to improve across the board for the brand, though, thanks to $780 million going into the development of cleaner powertrains for this fiscal year alone. However, buyers might have to pay more for a Subie in the future after this boost in green spending. "Related costs are going up more than expected, bringing the profit margin downward," Fuji Heavy Industries President Yasuyuki Yoshinaga said to the Nihon Keizai newspaper in Japan, according to Automotive News. "We are a small company. We do not benefit as much from economy of scale as bigger companies, so we will have to make up for the increased costs by raising our brand value." At the moment, Subaru's electrified lineup in the US comprises just the XV Crosstrek Hybrid, but the company is reportedly planning to add more. Plus, Subie also wants to make its internal combustion engines more efficient. According to Automotive News, all of the brand's mills are getting direct injection by 2016, and cylinder deactivation and lean combustion cycles are on track for 2020. Earlier rumors also suggested that the automaker might bring the turbocharged four-cylinder boxer to more products, as well. While these more efficient models might cost more, Subaru must carefully maintain the balancing act of introducing the technology and keeping sales growing. As of May 2015, the brand had 42 straight months of year-over-year growth in the US and had record sales in the country last year. The company has already decided to significantly boost production capacity at its Indiana factory in hopes of keeping the good times rolling.